Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-10-18
1aalg gress mil 9ahotaias
BiLl'S RAILROAD ExPI0lT.

Building che Manitoba from Minot,
Dakota. TO sreat Falls, Montana.
Great Falls, Mont. Oct. l5-Precisely
1t $50 70 day the locomotive passed the
mill at the foot OF Watson couiee and
emerged into full view of Great Faiis.
Later on the last spike was driven OF
the Montana extension OF tue MaDitoba
eallroad. Track lying ,sass conslnued Gu
tue MontsnH Central, which is graded
TO Helena. The Fort SHAW band vel.
comsd the locomotive and great enthusi.
asm prevailed. In tie afternoon the
event WAS celebrated by q grand pro-
csssloD, grafton by George w. Taylor
and sports, fireworks, monster bonfire,
followed BY q grand bail. The whole
City is decorated lavishly. The Montana
extension is completed in less than Blk
months by st. Paul contractors, always
On time aG each turn. Donald GRAFT,
Peter Seims Wllkin P. Collins and other
noted riiisosd builders are here.
Merchants demand direct mails from st.
Paul.
line building of the Manitoba extern
sion from MInot to Great Falls by
Sheppard, Winston d Co stands with
out a parallel In the history of railroad
constr %uotion, both in the magnitude OF
the work as q whole and in the record of
track-laying on particular day or weeks.
The entire length of the line from Minot
to Great Falls is $50 miles, and on April
last the track extended five miles west OF
Mipot. On that date the contractors be
gan the gigantic undertaking of grading
and laying tracks on $40 miles OF road
I I'm IN n IA pNnntrv in nna I,~,N.1. -.AL
the intention OF completing it by Nov.
j. The 15Eh OF October brought them
to their destination, although the
tracklpyeFs will continue right on and
put the iron on the Montana Central
from Great Falls to Helena. For
the first month but thirty miles of
track were laid owing to the fact that
the graders had not got out of the way.
Several other delays were caused by the
the same reason. but one since June 5.
The record of progress by months is
shown as follows, the distance being
given west OF Mlnot.
Miles. Miles.
April z.......... 2l Anguish ......... 2s2 80
July l..., ....19l.7 October b.. $40. 81
The largest months record was L
August, aud the iarg est week of any
seven days was from Aug to Is in
elusive 32.b miles being laid. The larg-
est individual days work was that
gigantic record of Aug. IL, when AZ, 800
feet were laid between dsybreak and
dark, the end of the track being 1926. s
miles from Minot in the morning, and
1888 miles from Minot at night. /. is
CLAIMED that eve that record would
have been exceeded and the round nine
miles woali have been reached, Il an
accident had not happened to one of the
iron cars. The second greatest days re-
cord was on June J6, when IS, 900 feet
were laid, from 2.l,7 miles west OF Mlnot
to 248,9: Both of these records are far
ahead of the CANADIAN Paciie's biggest
days work which {6H mlles) has hitherto
stood as the accepted marvel OF fast
tracklaying. An Indication of the vast
undertaking and the namber OF men and
teams required to exeoute it Is shown by
the following from the Pioneer Press OF
last May, written sat the 'front.'
The number OF men now at work is
6,7o0, and the number oil teams 5000.
With this force, it Is hardly to be won-
dered that the dirt Is flying ct q lively
rate. From here to seventy miles beyond
Fort Bufort there is unbsoken series
OF graders camps. Fifty OF these Camps
can be seen from one point some dis
tance beyond White Earth. By June
lat between 3 900 600 and 4 600 900 cubic
yards OF earth will have been taken out,
and by the time Great Falls is reached
the amount will aggregate not far from
10, 000, 900. On the Canadian Pacific
during the whole Of last summer the
Eamonnt of earth handled was only $780,
Gao cubic yards, and this was considered
9 remarkable piece OF work.
The army OF men penetrated a conn-
try hitherto entirely undeyeloped and
traversed one Of the most interesting
sections in the United States, through
what is called the third plateau of Mon
tana. The work has been carried on
from one end, but boats have been
called into requisjtion on the Missouri
60 creste supply depots in advance of
she work. The point reached yesterday
ss l,073 miles west Of st. Paul.